Link to article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/27/ethiopian-government-tries-to-stop-uk-auction-of-looted-maqdala-shield
The UK has proposed the idea of putting the Magdala shield up for sale. During the Battle of Magdala in 1868 the Emperor Tewodros II was defeated by Lord Napier and the British looted various things from Ethiopia. One of the items was a circular dome shield. Ever since then, the Ethiopian government has been appealing to get them to return the shield along with many other items such as jewelry and manuscripts that were very important to the Ethiopians. When they found out the shield was up for sale, they stated it was very “inappropriate” and they were very angry.
Although it is part of both of the countries’ past, it is still very wrong that they won’t return the stolen items. They belonged to Ethiopia in the beginning and they deserve to get them back. The UK’s disrespect to Ethiopia over all of these items will definitely cause Ethiopia to look at them in a different light. This could affect their trade with one another and their allies which in the end would affect their economies. I wonder if the pieces will end up selling and how much they will sell for. I also wonder if Ethiopia will buy them just to get them back.
In class we have discussed the different types of armed conflicts. These are types of wars/fights using machinery that can be between militaries or groups of people. In this case there was an armed conflict between Ethiopia and the UK in 1868 and there might be another one coming soon if they don’t show them some more respect.